Chelsea sign Strasbourg midfielder Barco

Chelsea have signed Strasbourg midfielder Valentin Barco on a seven-year deal. The 21-year-old is the club's sixth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Morgan Rogers, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha, Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra. Barco will join the rest of the Chelsea squad on their pre-season tour, which will see them face Italian side Juventus in Hong Kong on August 5th. The Argentine born player appeared once for Argentina at the 2026 World Cup where they finished as runners-up to Spain.

Barco's only appearance for Argentina came in the 2026 World Cup, where Spain emerged victorious over their South American counterparts. Following his team's semi-final win against England, Barco was given a warning from Chelsea's young star Jude Bellingham.

Before joining Strasbourg in 2025, Barco had a brief stint with Brighton in 2024 for a reported £7.9 million. His time at Brighton was short-lived, and he subsequently joined Strasbourg the following summer after a productive loan spell. It's worth noting that both Chelsea and Strasbourg are owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, making Barco the second player to join Chelsea from Strasbourg this summer.